Air jet for air film tables



Sept. 8, 1953 R. E. ROSS 6 4 AIR JET FOR AIR FILM TABLES Filed July 9,1947 27 26 26 27 22 I "I r '20 l -28 60 if g /z 23 LK A 4 I I 42 \63 444/ l6 "35 INVENTOR.

WZMi/Qw ATTORNEYS l atented Sept. 8, i953 2,651,5le I Royal E. Ross,Dayton, hio,.assignor to Harris- Seybold Company, Cleveland, Ohio, acorporation of 7 Delaware Application July s, 1947, Serial No. 759,778

This invention relates to work tables for handling piles of.sheetmaterials such as paper, and more particularly to air jetassemblies for installation insuch work tablesfor releasing air underpressure between the pile and the table surface to reducefrictiontherebetweenfor more ready handling and moving of the pile.

One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide anair jet assembly which is adapted foreasy installation in a worktablesuch as the table of a paper cutting machine without special tools andwithout requiring dismantling or extensive modification of the table orits associated mechanism, andwhich also can readily and easily beinstalled in a work table already in use in the field without removingthe table from its associated machine;

Another object is to provide such an air jet assembly which can readilybe removed from the top of the table for cleaning, adjustment, repair orreplacement without disturbing or dismantling the other mechanism of thetable or its associated machine and without disconnecting the air linethereto.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an air jet assembly foruse in the table of apaper cutting machine which is. self-meteringv and1 claim. (01. 302-17) which can be readily adjusted in accordance withpredetermined service conditions to pass a desired maximum volume of airwhenfully open.

Other objects and advantages of theinvention will be apparent from thefollowing description,

the accompanying drawing and the appended claim. 7

In the drawing- Fig. 1 is a view in vertical section showing an air jetassembly in accordance with the invention mounted in the table of apaper cutting machine, the valve controlling the jet being shown inclosed position;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of a fragment of the table with the airjet assembly in place therein;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view in vertical section through theair jet assembly showing the valve in open position; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a different form of mountingsleeve for the air. jet

assembly.

Referring to the drawing, which illustrates preferred embodiments of thepresent invention, Fig. 1 shows a fragment ill of the table of a papercutting machine including .one of the usual bracing or stiffening ribsll. Thetable I0 is bored out to form a smooth cylindrical hole 2 12 forreceiving the mounting sleeve [5 of the air jet assembly. This sleeve H:has a portion I6 at its upper end formed of a proper diameter for apress fit within the hole l2 in the table, and. its lower portion I1 isof slightly reduced diameter to facilitate initial insertion from abovein the hole l2. The lower end of sleeve I5 is shown as provided with aninternally tapered tapped portion I8 to receive a tapered pipe threadfitting l9 leading to a suitable source of air under pressure An annularadapter 20 is threadedly mounted in the upper end of sleeve I5. As shownin Figs. 1 and 3, the adapter 20 includes an externally threaded andinternally tapped lower portion 2| and an upper or shoulder portion 22of larger diameter than the lower portion 2|. The threaded adapterportion 2| is adapted for threaded engagement with the tapped upper end23 of sleeve l5, and the shoulder portion 22 is of slightly lesser outerdiameter than the outer diameter of sleeve portion It to provide forready rotation of the adapter in the hole i2 of the table wherein thesleeve portion I6 is press fitted. For example, satisfactory resultshave been obtained with a difierence of the order of .0045 to .0090 inchbetween the outer diameter of the sleeve portion -l6 and theouter'diameter of the shoulderpor tion 22 ofv the adapter. a

The central bore 2.4 of the adapter 20 i of sufiicient diameterftoreceive a ball 25 freely therein with an average clearance of the orderof approximately .0075 inch, but the upper end of bore 24 is of reduceddiameter at 26 to retain the ball 25 within the bore with apredetermined limitedarcuate portion thereof protruding above theadapter as shown in Fig. 1, for example a total protrusion of the orderof .050 inch, with a ball .25 inch in diameter. The upper surface of theshoulder portion 22 of the adapter is provided with apair of holes 21 toreceive the lugs of a suitable wrench for screwing the adapter into theupper end of sleeve I5. Also the inner surface of sleeve I5 is enlargedat its upper end to receive an annular gasket 28 of rubher or othersuitable material to assure an airtight seal between the sleeve and theadapter.

An annular jet body member 30 is threadedly mounted within the tappedportion 21 of the adapter 20, the body member having flattened sideportions 3| adjacent the lower end thereof for ready manipulation with awrench or, pliers. A look nut 32 isprovided for locking the body member30 and adapter 20 in fixed axial relation, this look nut havingsimilarly flattened side 3 portions 33 as shown. The body member 30 andlock nut 32 are each of appreciably smaller outer diameter than theinner diameter of sleeve l5, for example approximately 1 inch and 4 inchsmaller, respectively, so that they are readily insertable the upper endof the sleeve and are supportdtherein by the adapter 20. The innersurface of body member includes a tapped upper portion 34, anintermediate portion tapering inwardly iii the direction of the lowerend dri cal lower portion 36.

.10. thereof to form a. tapered seat 35, and a cy1in- A valve unit ismounted within the body member 30 for controlling the passage ofair'therethrough. Referring particularly to Fig. 3, the valve unit is ofthe general type used in automobile tires and includes an annular valvebody 40 having a tapered portion 4| complementary to the tapered seat 35within the bodyme'mber 30. A threaded collar 42 of the usual typeengages in the tapped portion 34 within body member 30 to press thevalve body downwardly to a position of sealing relation between itstapered portion 4| and the tapered seat 35, and this tapered portion ofthe valve body is shown as provided with a rubber or fiber jacket 43 toassure an air-tight seal against the tapered seat 35, this jacket 43being held in position on the valve body by a peripheral shoulder 44 atthe upper end of the tapered valve body portion 4|. The collar 42 isshown as having its lower end flanged at 45 over the flared upper end ofvalve body 40 to provide a relatively rotatable connection between thecollar and valve body. The upper end of collar 42 is cut away to providea fiat sided portion 46 for engagement with the usual type of tire valvewrench.

Referring particularly to Fig. 3, the lower end of the valve body 40forms an annular valve seat 49, and a vertically reciprocable valve isprovided for cooperating with valve seat 49 to control the passage ofair through the valve body. The valve 50 is secured to a valve stem 5|which extends upwardly through the valve body and is of substantiallysmaller diameter than the interior of the valve body. The valve '50includes a cylindrical outer portion 52 which is freely-reciprocablewithin the cylindrical portion 36 of the body member 30, providing anannular orifice 55 through which air under pressure 'isadmitted from thelower end of sleeve l5, and the body member to the valve seat 49 and theinterior of the valve body. At its upper'end, the valve '50 is providedwith a ring 56 of rubber or fiber adapted to seat against the annularvalve seat 49, and the valve stem 5| is provided with a tapered shoulder51 adjacent the ring 56 to guide the valve 50 to centered position withrespect to the valve seat.

This arrangement of the valve unit and body member 30 provides forself-metering of the air transmitted by the valve. Since the annularorifice 55 determines the volume of air transmitted to the interior ofthe valve body, the cross-sectional area of this orifice may be readilycontrolled to allow only a predetermined volume of air to be released atthe fully opened position of the valve, thus assuring equal volumedistribution when more than one jet in the table is opened, providingthat the air feed lines have greater total volume than the total numberof jets in operation at any given time. "Thus the inner diameter of thecylindrical portion 36 of body member 30 may readily be changed to varythe cross-sectional area of the orifice 55 in acon or otherwise securedto the valve stem 5|.

4 cordance with desired operating conditions without otherwise affectingthe construction or operation of any of the other parts.

The valve stem 5| extends upwardly through the collar 42 into thecentral bore 24 of adapter 20 and is provided with an enlarged head 60adapted to engage the ball 25., A coil spring 6| is provided within thevalve body for urging the valve stem upwardly to a position of sealingrelation between the valve 5|] and valve seat 49. This spring is seatedbetween an internal shoulder or seat 62 in valve body 40 adjacent thevalve seat 48 and a shoulder or collar 63 formed As shown in Fig. 3, thespring 6| is of larger diameter at its lower end than at its upper endso that it willproperly engage seat 62 and collar 63 respectively.

'This valve assembly is adapted for ready oneman installation in acutter table from the top surface of the table and without specialtoolsor dismantling of the table itself or any of its associated apparatus.The hole l2 is first bored in the table to a proper diameter for a pressfit connection with the larger portion l6 of sleeve 15. In installingthe assembly, the sleeve is first pressed into this hole i2 until itsupper end is below the upper surface of the table by an amount slightlyless, for example inch, than the axial length of the shoulder portion 22of the adapter 20.

The other parts are assembled before insertion in the sleeve |5. Thevalve body 40 is first mounted in the body member 30, and the collar 42tightened until the tapered portion 4| of the valve body and its jacket43 are in tight sealing relation with the tapered seat 35 within bodymember 30. The ball 25 is placed in the central bore 24 of adapter 20,and the body member 30 is then screwed into the adapter until thepressure of spring 61 on the valve stem 5| is just surficient to holdthe ball protruding from the adapter to its maximum permissible extentwhen the assembly is held with the adapter uppermost. The body memberand adapter are then looked in this axial relation by means of the locknut 32,.

The assembly is then ready for installing in the sleeve |5, and it isinserted therein and. the adapter 20 screwed down into the sleeve untilthe lower surface of its shoulder portion '22 is tight against the upperend of the sleeve. With the sleeve having been initially inserted withinthe table to the extent stated, this will leave the upper surface of theadapter protruding approximately .010 to .015 inch above the tablesurface, and the entire'assembly and sleeve may then be simply pressedfurther down into the table until the upper surface of the adapter isflush with the upper surface of the table as shown in Figs. 1 to 3.Since with this construction of the sleeve 1'5, there are no shouldersto be considered in obtaining the desired smooth fit with the tablesurface, there are no close machining tolerances on details. The pipefitting H! from a source of pressure air :may be readily connected tosleeve |5 either before or after the valve assembly is mounted therein.

In addition to the above noted advantages from the standpoint of easyinitial installation, this air jet assembly can be readily removed froma table .for repair, cleaning, adjustment or replacement withoutdisturbing any .of the other mechanism of the table and without evenhaving to disconect the air lines. It is necessary merely to unscrew theadapter 20 from within the sleeve,

after which the entire jet assembly may be lifted out of the table,leaving the mounting sleeve [5 in place.

It is sometimes found in installing air jet assemblies in pre-existingmachines, particularly machines in use in the field, that insufficientspace is available below the table to receive standard pipe fittings ofthe type indicated at 98 in Fig. 1 or to allow access for connectingsuch fittings. Fig. 4 shows a modified construction of mounting sleevesuitable for such installations. In Fig. 4, the parts other than thesleeve 59 and feed tube H are identical with the similar parts in Figs.1 to 3 and are correspondingly numbered, the body member 38 and lock nut37. being shown in elevation. The lower end of sleeve 70 is shown as ofsubstantially reduced inner diameter at 72, and the upper end. of thisreduced portion is countersunk at I3. This construction of the sleeve isparticularly adapted for soldered connection to an air tube ll of coppertubing, which is shown as having its upper end 75 flared to conform withthe countersunk portion l3 of the sleeve, and this end of the tube issoldered within the sleeve as indicated at 17.

Iihe advantage of this construction in field installations is that thecopper tubing may be soldered to the sleeve before the latter isinserted in the table. The tubing may then be threaded through the holein the table from above and worked out from under the table and past thebase of the machine before it is provided with the proper fittings forconnection to a air line. The sleeve 70 is press fitted in the table andthe other parts mounted therein in the same manner as described inconnection with Figs. 1 to 3. Thus with the construction shown in Fig.4, the assembly can be mounted in the table without removing the tablefrom the machine even when the space under the table is insufficient forreceiving or connecting ordinary pipe fittings of the type shown in Fig.1 and described in connection therewith.

In the operation of this air jet assembly, the normal position of theparts is as shown in Fig. 1, with the spring 6| holding the valve closedand holding the ball 25 in its uppermost position protruding above thesurface of the table. When a pile of paper is placed on the table in aposition in which it is over one or more of the jets therein, its weightwill depress the ball 25, which will in turn depress the valve stem 5|and open the valve, thus releasing pressure air through the valve bodyand past the ball 25 to the space between the pile of paper and thesurface of the table. As is well known, this air forms in effect a filmbetween the table surface and the pile, thus substantially reducingfriction and providing for movement of the pile along the table surfacewith comparatively little effort.

While the forms of apparatus herein described constitute preferredembodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the inventionis not limited to these precise forms of apparatus, and that changes maybe made therein without departing from the scope of the invention whichis defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

In a work table having a horizontal work supporting surface providedwith a plurality of openings therethrough, the combination of aplurality of sleeves each press fitted Within one if said openings, aplurality of annular adapters each having a through passage, means forsupporting each said adapter in the upper end of one of said sleeveswith the upper end of said adapter substantially flush with said worktable surface, each said adapter passage being of reduced diameter atthe upper end thereof, a ball freely rotatable and reciprocable in eachsaid adapter passage and of such diameter as to be capable of onlypartial protrusion beyond said reduced upper end of said passage, aplurality of valve units each including a valve and a verti callyreciprocable control member, means in each said valve unit for guidingthe reciprocating movement of said control member, a plurality ofseparate pressure air lines each connected with the lower end of one ofsaid sleeves, means for securing one of said valve units to each saidadapter at a position intermediate the ends of the associated saidsleeve with said valve in position to control the flow of air from saidair line through said adapter passage and with said control memberextending upwardly within said passage, and means in each said valveunit for biasing said control member thereof upwardly to close saidvalve and to support the associated said ball in said position ofpartial protrusion above the upper end of said adapter for free rotationwithin said passage and for downward movement therein against saidbiasing means causing opening of said valve.

ROYAL E. ROSS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 629,140 Vollkommer July 18, 1899 1,053,623 McMillion Feb. 18,1913 1,269,694 Faires June 18, 1918 1,458,438 Reynolds June 12 19231,812,610 Royer June 30, 1931 1,973,799 Crowley Sept. 18, 1934 2,128,623Stuck Aug. 30, 1938 2,176,307 Lamb Oct. 17, 1939 2,272,634 Bronson Feb.10, 1942 2,293,132 Gora Aug. 18, 1942 2,307,220 Hewitt Jan. 5, 1943

